In this section

HOUSE OF BENEDICTINE NUNS

The nunnery of Neasham was the only
religious house within the limits of the county
that stood independent of the powerful church
of Durham. (fn. 2) Situated on the River Tees, two
miles from Sockburn, in the parish of Hurworth, (fn. 3)
it was founded for eight nuns (fn. 4) of the Benedictine
Order, and was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. (fn. 5)
The founder's name is unknown; probably he
was one of the early barons of Greystoke. (fn. 6)

In February, 1156-7, Pope Adrian IV confirmed the privileges of the monastery by a bull
in which he spoke of it as already well established. (fn. 7) Amongst its possessions he expressly
mentioned the place in which the church is
situated, called Mahaldecroft, (fn. 8) given by Emma,
daughter of Waldef, and a carucate of land of
the lordship of the same Emma in Neasham,
together with common of pasture, the cultivated
ground called Sadelflat, the mill upon the Kent,
and the ground between the mill and the church;
one carucate of land in Hurworth given by
Engelais, sister to Emma; all the tithes of the
convent's lordship in Neasham; and a carucate
of land in Thornton given by Alan son of
Torphin. The pope exempted the nuns from
payment of tithes, and granted them free right
of sepulture. (fn. 9)

This grant of Emma (then described as
widow of Ralph de Teisa,) was confirmed by a
charter of Henry II, (fn. 10) and again by her son,
Ralph Fitz-Ralph. (fn. 11)

Bishop Hugh gave to the convent 2 acres
of land at 'Wayngate-Letch,' (fn. 12) and during his
pontificate Roger de Conyers gave 17 acres
in Bishopton. (fn. 13)

William Fitz-Ralph granted the nuns permission to grind their corn at the manor mill
without multure; and Ralph Fitz-William, lord
of Neasham, confirmed this grant, ordering the
miller to grind the nuns' corn well and take
nothing, but providing that when they ground
their hard corn they should pay the miller one
such small white loaf as a nun hath for her
daily allowance, and one small 'pain grossier';
and when they ground their barley, two flagons
of ale. (fn. 14)

Before 1248 Nicholas, bishop of Durham,
bestowed upon the nuns a portion in the church
of Whitburn amounting to 20 marks per
annum. (fn. 15)

Besides the above the convent acquired from
time to time the tithes of Little Burdon; (fn. 16) a
pension of 10 marks out of Washington rectory, (fn. 17)
with regard to the payment of which difficulties
seem sometimes to have arisen; (fn. 18) one acre of
land at Lakelands; (fn. 19) rents in Hartlepool, North
Auckland, and Hurworth; and small parcels of
land in Little Burdon, Ellingstring, Nether
Coniscliffe, and Hutton [Hoton]. (fn. 20) The latest
gift, by which the house cannot have greatly benefited, was a tenement in Windlestone, granted in
1524 by R. Wensley, clerk, on condition that
he received the rents thereof during his life. (fn. 21)

At no time does the convent appear to have
been wealthy. In the Taxatio of Pope Nicholas
IV (1292) the temporalities were rated at
£19; (fn. 22) in the 'Nova Taxatio' (11 Edw. II) at
£8 13s. 4d. only; (fn. 23) and at the dissolution the
gross income is given as £26 9s. 9d., and the clear
value as £20 17s. 7d. (fn. 24) The nuns however
seem sometimes to have had a little money to
invest. In 1325 they bought an oxgang in
Little Burdon from Amabill, daughter of
William of Hartlepool; (fn. 25) and in 1451 or 1452
the prioress had licence to purchase houses in
Darlington. (fn. 26)

The history of Neasham Priory appears to
have been singularly uneventful. It was to the
bishop of Durham that the prioress appealed in
case of any difficulty, and two at least of the
bishops were among the benefactors of the
house. (fn. 27)

In 1311 Agnes de Campioun, a nun of
Neasham, was expelled from the convent, and
refused re-admission, though promising all due
obedience. Her offence is not stated, but the
bishop on inquiry deemed it insufficient to
justify such severity, and directed the dean of
Darlington to re-instate her, unless the prioress
and nuns could show good cause to the contrary, in which case they were to appear before
the bishop in the Galilee at Durham and tell their
side of the story. (fn. 28)

In July, 1319, the king granted a protection
for one year to the prioress of Neasham, (fn. 29) presumably in order that she might travel.

Here and there the episcopal registers of
Durham contain brief references to the convent,
but nothing of importance occurs till 29 November, 1428, when the nuns, assembled in their
chapter-house, wrote to the bishop, (fn. 30) asking his
consent to the election of Margaret of Danby,
professed nun of the House of Nuns at Newcastle, to succeed Jane Egleston, the late prioress,
who had resigned. The names of the nuns are
given:—Jane Egleston, Jane Tympson, Alice
Bewlof, Margaret Hawyk, Margaret of Witton,
Agnes of Tudowe, Beatrix of Kyllom, and Jane
of Blakiston.

The bishop at once gave his consent, and
wrote to Dionysia Aslakby, prioress of St. Bartholomew's, Newcastle, asking her to send Margaret
of Danby to Neasham. (fn. 31) Her reply is worth
quoting, if only as a testimony to the character
of the prioress-elect; she acknowledges the receipt
of the bishop's letter about the postulation
of our sister Dame Margaret Danby, whilk postulacion
I graunte fully with assent of my chapiter atte Reverence of God and in plesing of yor gracious lordship; notwythstondyng yat she is ful necessarye and
profitable to us both in spirituell governance and
temporell. (fn. 32)

On 15 December, the prioress of St. Bartholomew's appeared before the bishop and confirmed this assent; (fn. 33) and five days later the
bishop wrote to Dame Margaret appointing her
prioress of Neasham, and at the same time sent
letters to the convent to admit her, and to the
archdeacon of Durham to induct her. (fn. 34)

Her reign was a short one. On 26 January,
1429-30, the nuns (fn. 35) wrote again to the bishop,
telling him of her death. (fn. 36) Two days later they
elected Margaret Hawyk, who was duly installed.
There is some reason to fear that during her rule
the manners and morals of the house deteriorated.
In June, 1436, the bishop commissioned the
abbot of Bellalanda and the rector of Houghton
to visit the convent, and to inquire into the rule,
life, and conversation of its inmates, whether
nuns, priests, or seculars. (fn. 37) The result of this
investigation was not altogether satisfactory;
for the bishop cited the prioress and nuns to
appear before him on 4 October, 1436, (fn. 38) and
gave them strict injunctions as to their behaviour.
He laid special stress upon the observance of the
canonical hours, the rule of silence, and the daily
meeting of the sisters in the chapter-house. The
nuns when not engaged in divine service, or at
refection, were to be occupied in reading, prayer,
or meditation. The defects in the conventual
church, cloisters, and other buildings were to be
made good before the following midsummer, and
the chalices, jewels, and ornaments, then in the
hands of sundry creditors, were to be redeemed.
No secular person was to pass the night in the
house, nor were the nuns, unless indisposed, to
sleep elsewhere than in the dormitory; doors
were to be shut at a certain hour; and the sisters
were to hold no intercourse with secular persons,
except for the service of the house and with the
permission of the prioress. (fn. 39)

Notwithstanding the bishop's orders, the nuns
proved disobedient, and in July, 1437, their time
of grace having expired, the bishop again sent
commissioners; this time to inquire into defects
and excesses committed contrary to his injunctions
and to punish the offenders. (fn. 40) This resulted in
the resignation of Margaret Hawyk, on 10 August,
1437, (fn. 41) and the nuns received licence to choose
a new prioress. (fn. 42) They elected Agnes Tudowe,
one of their number, (fn. 43) but the manner of their
choice displeased the bishop, and they were
obliged to renounce the postulation and humbly
to submit to him in the matter before he would
be appeased. (fn. 44) This done, however, he appointed
the said Agnes, 'by his authority,' (fn. 45) issuing a
mandate for her installation and a dispensation
for her 'super defectu natalium.' (fn. 46) He then
extended the time for the completion of the
repairs, and recovery of the ornaments, and gave
orders with regard to the ex-prioress. She was
to have her keep and all necessaries from the
goods of the house, and to have the use of
her private room, so long as her conduct was
satisfactory and her religious duties regularly
performed. (fn. 47)

In 1437, Sir John Graystock, knight, died
seised of the advowson and patronage of Neasham
Priory. (fn. 48)

In July, 1504, the little village of Neasham
was roused from its wonted quiet by a visit from
Princess Margaret on her bridal journey to Scotland. On the outskirts of the village she was
met by Sir Robert Bowes and Sir William Hilton,
with a fair company of horsemen, well appointed,
and at the gate of the convent she was received
by the prioress and her nuns, one of whom bore
the Cross. We are not told that the princess
entered the priory, but she drew rein, and the
bishop gave her the Cross to kiss. (fn. 49)

At the time of the Valor Ecclesiasticus, the
convent held lands, houses, or rents in Neasham,
Hurworth, Little Burdon, Shildon, (fn. 50) Washington,
Hutton, Bishop Auckland, Bishopton, Long
Newton, Coniscliffe, Darlington, Hyndale, Windlestone, Sadberge, and Gateshead, (fn. 51) in the county
of Durham; and in Yarm, Skelton, and Ellingstring, in the county of York. (fn. 52)

By letters patent under the Great Seal, reciting
the Act of 21 Henry VIII, the king in July,
1537, exempted the priory of Neasham from that
Act, and provided for 'Jane Lawson, prioress
of the Order of St. Benet,' to be prioress of
the house. (fn. 53) This lady, possibly foreseeing the
coming storm, (fn. 54) at once granted a lease of the
possessions of the priory in Neasham to her
brother, James Lawson, a merchant of Newcastle, under a rent of £2. (fn. 55) On 29 December,
1540, she surrendered the priory into the king's
hands; (fn. 56) and the house, site, church, bell-tower,
and cemetery were granted to James Lawson
for a consideration of £227 5s. (fn. 57) No imputation
seems to have been thrown on the character of
the inmates. (fn. 58)

Jane Lawson survived the dissolution of her
house some seventeen years. Her will is dated
at Neasham, (fn. 60) where it seems probable that she
lived on in the old conventual buildings, (fn. 61) possibly
as tenant to her brother. She was a practical
and successful farmer, and her inventory includes
land at Neasham and elsewhere, live-stock, and a
quantity of corn, standing and in the barn. In
June, 1557, four of her former nuns were still
living; to each of them she left 6s. 8d., and
1s. to each of her 'god-bairns' in Hurworth,
besides other substantial legacies. She died before
16 July, 1557. (fn. 62)

The seal of the house, which was appended
to the above-mentioned lease in 1537, represented
the Blessed Virgin seated in a chair of ancient
form, crowned, having a sceptre in her hand,
and the Infant Jesus in her lap. Legend:—

Footnotes

1. The house at Neasham is occasionally spoken of
as an abbey, as by Leland (Coll. iv, 275), but there
does not appear to be any warrant for this, though
the modern house built on the site of the convent is
called Neasham Abbey. (Boyle's Guide to Co. Dur.
658.) In all formal ecclesiastical documents the house
is spoken of as a priory.